NBA: The Dynasty Crasher

Chapter 76: Hall of Fame Sniper Missions

Block and steal from Olajuwon three times on defense;Dunk on Olajuwon once;If the host is knocked down by Olajuwon, the mission will be automatically cancelled.

Task reward: Complete all and earn Olajuwon's coordination talent.

"Coordination talent?" Zhao Dong nodded thoughtfully. Olajuwon's physical talent was rare in the world, and his coordination was unparalleled in history. Given this, Zhao Dong was more eager to complete this sniper mission than Barkley's. Of course, with his current strength, defeating Barkley was still challenging, but it wasn't impossible. Barkley, almost 34 years old, had begun to decline this season. Like Ewing, next season would be even worse. Zhao Dong wasn't without confidence, especially since he remembered that Barkley would suffer two serious injuries this season: a torn left pelvis and a strained left ankle, which caused him to miss 25 games. His body was clearly no longer up for it. But Zhao Dong wasn't interested in the lottery anymore. Olajuwon's coordination talent was the prize he really wanted. He had no desire for Barkley's "big ass."

At three o'clock in the afternoon, the Knicks arrived in Houston and held a press conference at the hotel, as requested by the media.

"Zhao Dong, you're playing against Barkley. Are you confident?" asked a reporter from the Houston Chronicle.

"Can he even still fly? If not, I'll rub him on the floor tomorrow night until he calls me daddy," Zhao Dong replied, mimicking Barkley's words.

"Do you think you're the big Barkley, or just a weakened version?" another media member asked.

"Tomorrow night, I'll be the butcher in the slaughterhouse. I'll take good care of that flying pig and give him a nice haircut," Zhao Dong said with a grin.

"Pfft!" Some reporters burst into laughter.

"What if you can't do it?" a local reporter shot back, looking annoyed.

"I'm just a rookie, isn't it normal to lose to him?" Zhao Dong answered casually.

The reporter was left dumbfounded, realizing that Barkley had just picked a fight with someone who wasn't backing down.

Later, the group of reporters went to the Mosaic team's training ground, where they interviewed Barkley and relayed Zhao Dong's remarks.

"What? That damn kid still wants to kill me and pluck my hair? You bastard!" Barkley laughed angrily. He knew he was in trouble. It wasn't just about him—Michael Jordan, too. As superstars, it was expected that they would beat the rookie, but they couldn't afford to lose. If they did, they'd lose face, and with that rookie's reputation for immediate revenge, they'd be the ones trampled on for days.

But Barkley wasn't backing down. He spoke to the media with confidence: "That kid is just scared. This time, Michael and I will teach him a lesson and show him his place. He thinks he can step on our heads? Impossible. My 80-year-old grandma could beat him."

At six o'clock in the evening on the 14th, the Knicks arrived at the Compaq Center. Compared to the later Toyota Center Arena, this one was quite dilapidated, with only about 16,000 seats and a small number of boxes. As they turned a corner, they came face to face with the Mosaic team, and the two teams met before the game.

"Hey, Patrick," said Olajuwon, the home team's star, greeting Ewing first.

"Hey, Hakim," Ewing nodded. The competition among the league's top centers was fierce, so their relationship wasn't particularly close. After their brief exchange, they had nothing more to say.

"Little rookie, you're crazy!" Barkley called out as he walked toward Zhao Dong.

"The biggest mistake of my life was using you as a template," Zhao Dong responded calmly, walking up to him.

Click, click, the cameras of several reporters accompanying the teams flashed, and microphones were passed between them.

"Damn rookie!" Barkley pressed his forehead against Zhao Dong's chin, exposing their height difference. Feeling humiliated, he angrily pushed Zhao Dong away, shouting, "What do you mean by that?"

Zhao Dong didn't answer directly but instead asked, "Flying Pig, your official height is listed as 198 cm, but did you make a mistake?"

"Of course, I'm 198 centimeters, no doubt about it," Barkley said, irritated.

Zhao Dong laughed and replied, "Using you as a template? What good is that? Seeing you still a homeless man at this point, and I haven't even got a ring yet... it's sad to think about my future."

"If I use the magician as a template, at your age, I should still be able to take your grandma to get a ring. It's impossible for me to be like you and rely on other people," Zhao Dong continued with a mocking tone.

"Pfft!" Laughter erupted from the people around, and even some of the people behind Barkley couldn't help but chuckle.

"Damn it! Damn it! Zhao Dong, I want to fight you!" Barkley was furious, his fists clenched tightly.

"Come on, I don't bully old guys," Zhao Dong replied disdainfully.

Barkley's nose flared in anger. "You can beat up a postman, but you can't beat me? Who do you think you're talking to?" He thought for a moment and then added, "Wait, it's not about you beating me up. You just hit me."

As he was lost in thought, Zhao Dong pushed him aside and walked confidently toward the Knicks.

"Boy, when the game starts, whoever loses will call the other 'daddy.' Do you have the guts to accept that?" Barkley shouted at Zhao Dong's back.

"Damn it!" Zhao Dong's anger flared. Here was a superstar trying to humiliate a rookie like him with a ridiculous bet. Was this how he was going to be fully humiliated?

The people at the scene, including management and security guards, were stunned for a moment. Several journalists accompanying the teams grew excited, their cameras flashing in rapid succession.

"Charles, is it really fun to bully a rookie?" Ewing spoke up, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Barkley jumped up, his face reddened. "Am I bullying him? Am I bullying him? He's the one who said he could take my grandma to get a ring! Do I have the ability to bully him?"

"You have no ability to bully him. Our rookie isn't so easily intimidated," Oakley coldly retorted.

Oakley wasn't backing down. "Oakley, you wanna settle this off the court like the Jazz?" Barkley moved toward Oakley, standing in front of him with a serious expression. "Don't think too much of it. I'm not as muscular as Malone, but I could take all of you down by myself."

"Go away," Oakley said with a scoff, pushing Barkley aside.

The two weren't exactly friends. Oakley, one of the four villains, wasn't known for getting along with anyone, and Barkley had a notorious temper. In fact, in the preseason of that season, the two had gotten into a physical altercation on the court. The fight had led to Barkley's suspension for four games and a $5,000 fine. His debut with the Mosaic team had been delayed, and on top of that, the injury caused him even more trouble. Oakley had also been banned for two games and fined, but the animosity between them remained.

"Hey, calm down, please calm down!" Dameng quickly intervened, stepping between the two.

"Charles, forget it," Ewing added, trying to de-escalate the situation.

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